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BG 16.9 — 16.9 Holding this view, these ruined souls of small intellect and fierce deeds, come forth as the enemies of the world for its destruction.
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एतां दृष्टिमवष्टभ्य नष्टात्मानोऽल्पबुद्धयः |
प्रभवन्त्युग्रकर्माणः क्षयाय जगतोऽहिताः ||१६-९||

etāṃ dṛṣṭimavaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmāno.alpabuddhayaḥ . prabhavantyugrakarmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato.ahitāḥ ||16-9||


16.9 Holding this view, these ruined souls of small intellect and fierce deeds, come forth as the enemies of the world for its destruction.

Word-by-word meanings

16.9 एताम् this? दृष्टिम् view? अवष्टभ्य holding? नष्टात्मानः ruined souls? अल्पबुद्धयः of small intellect? प्रभवन्ति come forth? उग्रकर्माणः of fierce deeds? क्षयाय for the destruction? जगतः of the world? अहिताः enemies.Commentary They rob others. They acire wealth by destroying others. They boast of their evil actions.Nashtatmanah Ruined souls They have lost all chances of attaining Selfrealisation or going to the higher world.Alpabuddhayah They have a small intellect as they identify themselv

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

16.9 Avastabhya, holding on to; etam, this; drstim, view; (these people) who are nasta-atmanah, of depraved character, who have deviated from the disciplines leading to the other world; alpa-budhayah, of poor intellect, whose intellect is indeed limited, engrossed with material things; ugra-kamanah, given to fearful actions-who are cruel by nature; and ahitah, harmful; i.e. inimical to the world; prabhavanti, wax strong; ksayaya, for the ruin; jagatah, of the world. This is the construction.

Swami Gambirananda

16.9 Holding on to this view, (these people) who are of depraved character, of poor intellect, given to fearful actions and harmful, wax strong for the ruin of the world.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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